7 Tips to boost your wedding atmosphere

Although it's not the case in the entire world, most of us have the ability to chose where we want to study, work and live. This of course influences who we meet and when (and if) the times comes - who we marry. Surely, many of you have been to super cool weddings where cultures, countries, languages and people mix - this could naturally give a boost to the atmosphere at any event. However, in some cases it might take longer (and quite a bit of alcohol) to have people relaxing at a wedding - after all, it normally starts of as a formal setting. If you are planning for your wedding day and you have guests that don't yet know each other as they come from different countries, or even different cities in the same country, I warmly recommend following some easy steps to break the ice and at the same time boost the atmosphere at your wedding:

1. Acknowledge the different dynamics among your invitees

   Without any doubt, the people coming to your wedding are people you want to be there. There might be family or different groups of friends. Keep in mind that although you as a couple get along and know how the separate groups/cliques of people work ("we always have so much fun when we go out"), people from these separate groups of friends still might not know each other, and it might not come naturally that people mingle or introduce themselves to one another due to different reasons (language, personality, etc.).

2. Explain rare weddings traditions, or skip them

   Ever been to a wedding where you thought "what in the world is going on?". Let me give a few examples: In Spain, when all the guests are seated ready to start dinner, the couple will enter the room dancing around all tables and the wedding guests spin their napkin in the air. In Sweden, when the bride leaves the room it’s traditional for all the women to line up to kiss the groom. And when the groom leaves the room to go to the bathroom then all the men get up and kiss the bride. In Germany (although it's quite rare these days), the bride is kidnapped, taken to a bar and the groom has to find her and the abductors.

   Wedding traditions or rituals depend heavily on where you come from, and some traditions might be more known than others. If you as a couple are celebrating some traditions you know are not known by everyone - take your time to explain them to those who need it, or describe them in writing if you have e.g. a website for your wedding. In this way, all your wedding guests can enjoy and take part of the fun!

3. Introduce your guests in a creative way

   One way to do this could be to get a photo (with peoples consent), and write a booklet with a slice of info about each wedding guest. An example could be "Person X knows the groom since they were 5 years old and spends most of his time hiking in the mountains with his dog". In this way, every wedding guests feel extra thought of, and as well, guests can easier brake the ice by mentioning something mentioned in the booklet.

4. Ice breakers for wedding cocktail

   The traditional set-up is to have a cocktail or an informal gathering after the ceremony where guests can socialize and take pictures with the couple, or guests stay busy while the couple is away for pictures. Since this might the first time people talk and mingle during your wedding, you can help the atmosphere by preparing games, for example a wedding guest bingo. Prepare a bingo sheet with statements about each guest, and the task is to find out what statement is correct for whom, and of course with a nice price for whoever figures it out first. See a wedding bingo example here! You can also put disposable cameras at the cocktail or dinner tables for your guests to have fun taking their own pictures.

5. Prepare activity the day before the wedding

   If your time and budget allows, it could be worth it to have an event or a dinner (or both) prior to your wedding day. With this, guests arriving on the big day can feel more relaxed and maybe pick up on the conversation and fun that happened on the day before! Activities could be a city tour guide, wine tasting or a pool party - whatever your guests find fun!

6. Prepare dinner seating plan well - and start early!

   This will likely be the most time consuming task for planning your wedding and should not be underestimated- the seating plan. If you have guests that don't speak the same language, make sure you have someone at each table who can help with translation (doesn't have to be fluent). If the seating logistics are tricky and there might be guests who don't catch part of the conversations, it might help that you as couple or your best man/maid of honor pops by occasionally to check on your guests.

7. Music, music, music!

   Ever been to a quiet wedding without music? I don't think so :) As a last tip, do spend time on planning the music for your wedding. To level it up even more - do set aside a budget to contract live music. Live music is a great way to boost your atmosphere to have people talking, dancing and even singing! This could be a soloist or duo for your cocktail reception, or a full band to accompany you into the small hours of the night. Make sure you let them know your favorite songs in advance. Also, having followed the other tips, your wedding guests might feel more relaxed and confident to sing a long or dance to the music!